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First Descendant
On March 31, 2026, ZeniMax Online Studios held the ESO 2026 Seasons Direct, a livestream covering everything planned for Season Zero, Season One and Season Two. The stream was hosted by Susan Kath and Nick Giacomini, with developers joining throughout to walk through individual features.
This article covers every announcement from the presentation. All seasonal content is free for anyone who owns the base game.
Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk Recap
Season Zero is the first season under ESO's new seasons model. Some of this content is already live from Update 49, some launches April 2 and the rest arrives later in the season.
Launches in April
- Season Zero (April 2 - July 8) officially begins
- Tamriel Tomes (April 2 - July 8) (battle pass) system launches
- Gold Coast Bazaar (April 2) expands to full inventory
- Anniversary Jubilee (April 2 - April 15)
- Night Market (April 29 - June 17): Seven-week event zone in Fargrave. Completing the intro quest unlocks Night's Den, a free house.
Launches in Update 50 (June 8)
- Challenge Difficulty: Four opt-in tiers for overland, delves, public dungeons and story instances.
- Veterancy: New PvP progression system based on AP and XP earned in PvP areas.
- Vengeance Campaign: One more test addressing healing vs damage balance and damage caps on area abilities.
- Class Mastery passives confirmed for all pure classes.
ESO Season One Content
Season One is where the bulk of new announcements landed. Jason Barnes, Associate Design Director, walked through the lineup.
Thieves Guild Returns to ESO in Season One
Direct sequel to the original Thieves Guild storyline, set in Glenumbra.
- Team up with Quen to expand the Guild into Daggerfall while uncovering the Koldane Cartel's plans
- New stealth mechanics: hiding spots (flower pots, curtains) and Somnol Powder to stun guards
- Earnable mythic item that upgrades over time
- Accessible without completing the original quests, but returning players get extra dialogue
- Glenumbra receives a visual refresh (textures, props, lighting)
ESO Sage's Vault
Sage's Vault is a new content type in ESO set in a space between realms guarding Sage Varnet's most prized possessions.
- Entry requires Nowhere Keys earned through Season One activities
- Three wings in any order, each a series of randomized rooms
- Built around puzzles, traps, stealth and traversal, not damage or gear
- Secrets connect between rooms, forming one large meta-puzzle
- Checkpoint system lets you map direct routes to specific rooms
ESO Favors
Favors are a new take on daily quests in Elder Scrolls Online, tied to specific characters and guilds.
- Each favor has an ongoing story, delivered through letters (similar to old Hireling letters)
- Completing a story arc earns personal rewards like self-portraits for your house
- Confirmed characters: Telenger the Artificer, Holgunn One-Eye
ESO Rumors
Rumors are scavenger hunts hidden throughout the world of ESO.
- Clue-based, no UI quest markers. Tracked in a new journal section.
- Compared to classic Morrowind questing from TES III
- Some rumors have multiple endings with hidden layers
Dynamic World Events coming to ESO
Dynamic World Events encounters pop up across ESO's overland zones and scale based on the amount of players participating.
- Combines elements of Harrowstorms/Dark Anchors with smaller discoverable moments
- Multiple stages with varied objectives: rescue animals, defend farms, hunt down zone-wide threats
- Expanding system, not limited to Season One
New Sheogorath Questline in Season One
A questline consisting of six quests following Sheogorath as he tries to live as a mortal in The Elder Scrolls Online.
- He sets aside his powers and wanders Tamriel. Chaos follows.
- Powers go rogue, people try to steal them, everything spirals
Crimson Veldt Trial
Crimson Veldt is a new base game trial set in Hircine's Hunting Grounds.
- Hardmode trash mobs confirmed
- No further mechanical details shared
High Seas of Tamriel Event
High Seas of Tamriel is a new event with naval combat, undersea exploration and oceanic encounters.
- Ship battles, deep sea fishing, puzzles and combat on the ocean floor
- Solo and group play supported
ESO Season Two Content
Season Two arrives in winter 2026.
Solo Dungeons
Solo versions of Moon Hunter Keep and March of Sacrifices Dungeons are coming.
- Reimagined for solo players and companion users
- Casual story mode or opt-in harder mechanics at the entrance
- New monster masks and cosmetics
Dynamic Storms in Skyrim
- Large-scale world events begin appearing across Skyrim regions in ESO
Beyond The Seasons
Several features were announced without specific release dates. Details are limited and may change during development.
ESO Skyrim Excursion Zone
- The dynamic storms in Season Two build toward a new Excursion Zone in an iconic, never-before-explored region of Skyrim in ESO
- First season of 2027
- A separate new zone focused on exploration and discovery (not a templated checklist) is also in development
ESO Game Pass and Platform Announcements
PC Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere: ESO launches on PC Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere on June 2, 2026. The ESO Gold Road Collection is also free on PlayStation Plus until April 6.
2026 Seasons Direct Roundtable Discussions
The stream also included two roundtable discussions with developers and community guests MrsNineTales and Kalamon.
Topics covered included the philosophy behind experimental content, how player feedback shapes development, the Warden being next in line for a class refresh, guild housing plans, improvements for new and returning players and confirmation that cross-play is in development but not arriving in 2026.
Huge thank you to Bloodstained Fay from the ESO Model Viewer Discord for the initial summary notes!
Thanks for reading! Stay up to date with everything ESO in our News Overview Page or join our Community Discord to discuss the topic.
